The traditional face of the tan-skinned Wa people, their language, ritual dances, clothing and indigenous culture. Only around two decades of intensified Sinicization under the UWSA’s pro-China leadership have reshaped much of the Wa region’s cultural and linguistic landscape of Northern Shan State.
The Wa are an indigenous, traditionally tan-skinned people of the Wa hills with their own Austroasiatic language, culture, dress and rituals, they are not ethnically Han Chinese.
During the Cold War, China backed the Communist Party of Burma, whose forces established themselves in the Wa hills and recruited large numbers of Wa fighters. When Wa troops mutinied against the CPB leadership in 1989, the UWSA emerged as the dominant armed organization in the region.
Since then, UWSA-controlled territory has become increasingly integrated with China. Chinese is now widely used in education and administration, while trade, communications and infrastructure are heavily connected to Yunnan.
This can make today's Wa region appear culturally Chinese, but that shouldn't be confused with the traditional identity of the Wa themselves. The people in this video show that older Wa identity, their appearance, Wa language, clothing, rituals and dances, which still survives despite the region's rapid Sinicization.